Ford Explorer

Overview

On the surface, the Ford Explorer appears to be an upscale SUV, borrowing high-class styling from one of the world's shimmering luxo-utes, the Land Rover Range Rover. But look closer and the Ford's true colors begin to show, mainly in the form of a cabin that is durable and family-friendly but not at all posh. Yes, tech goodies such as touchscreen infotainment, onboard Wi-Fi, and driver-assistance technologies are options—but they're also available on nearly all of its main rivals, too, and some even offer them as standard. The Explorer is capable and agreeable, but its time as king of the three-row-crossover castle is just a memory now.

What's New for 2019?

While the Explorer has not been significantly updated since being refreshed for 2016, the popular mid-sizer has several mild changes for 2019. Most of these are limited to updating the standard equipment among the various models and repackaged driver-assistance options. The XLT version adds a new Desert Copper appearance package, which includes 20-inch wheels and numerous black exterior and interior treatments. The Limited model also receives a new bespoke appearance upgrade called the Luxury Limited package. It brings 20-inch rims, chrome mirror caps, and specific leather and faux-suede interior appointments.

Ford Explorer Pricing and Which One to Buy

Base model: $33,360

XLT: $35,395

Limited: $43,760

Sport: $47,620

Platinum: $55,160

We are most enthusiastic about the hottest Explorer model, the Sport. It's far from the most affordable model in the range, but its standard 365-hp twin-turbo V-6 is a diamond in the coal mine that constitutes the rest of the powertrain lineup. The Sport model also includes all-wheel drive, an infotainment system featuring an 8.0-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and power-folding third-row seats. We'd also opt for the 401A Equipment Group package that adds cooled front seats, heated second-row seats, a front camera, ambient interior lighting, and more.

Engine, Transmission, and Performance

The base V-6 and optional turbo four-cylinder engines are both adequate for most duties. While the V-6 is somewhat unrefined and the turbo four can be hesitant to pull away from a stop, neither will disappoint the average crossover consumer. The twin-turbocharged V-6 found in the Sport and Platinum, however, is wicked quick. The Explorer can tow up to 5000 pounds, but those in need of a three-row crossover capable of hauling heavier loads should consider the Dodge Durango, which can tow as much as 7400 pounds.

The Explorer drives bigger than it is. Its well-damped ride prioritizes comfort over dynamic handling. That's a blessing for those who regularly travel on rough roads or take long trips, but it's a curse for those who enjoy taking the long and winding route home. While more communicative steering would be nice, the electrically assisted system is both quick and light enough for typical crossover activities such as crawling mall parking lots and carting people across town. The Explorer's brake pedal is on the softer side, but in our testing its 174-foot stopping distance proved fully competitive among three-row crossovers.

Fuel Economy and Real-World MPG

The Explorer's fuel economy is unimpressive. The optional turbocharged four-cylinder delivers fuel economy that is no better than its rivals, although, to its credit, it does pump out far more power. During our 200-mile highway fuel-economy test, our twin-turbo test vehicle missed its 22-mpg highway estimate by 2 mpg and finished behind similar rivals.

Interior, Infotainment, and Cargo

The Explorer's interior suffers from an awkward layout and poor build quality. While the materials used in our top-of-the-line Platinum test vehicle were of high quality, cabin fit and finish was horrid—panels fit together poorly, and gaps between panels were large. Also, the Explorer has poorer rear visibility than many of its peers. Spacious accommodations and comfortable front seats are the interior's few saving graces.

We've found the upgraded touchscreen infotainment system—called Sync 3—to be intuitive and fairly snappy in its performance. Most every connectivity feature is offered on the Explorer, but unfortunately very few are standard. Capable of connecting up to 10 devices, the Explorer's optional 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot keeps the whole family online and entertained—a boon for long road trips with antsy kids.

The Explorer benefits from an extremely roomy cargo area behind its third-row seat. Less impressive is the space behind the front row of seats when both the second and third rows are folded. Various bins and cubbies throughout the Explorer's large cabin provide adequate small-item storage.

Safety and Driver-Assistance Features

The Explorer's safety features and crash-test superiority may have been top-notch back in 2011 when it was last redesigned, but in comparison with what is offered by today's more modern crossovers, they don't compete. Seatbelt airbags are the Explorer's sole stand-out safety feature and all of its driver-assistance equipment require shelling out for option packages. Key safety features include:

Available forward-collision warning and automated emergency braking

Available lane-departure warning and lane-keeping assist

Available parking assist

Warranty and Maintenance Coverage

Ford's warranty coverage is strictly average. Note that the Blue Oval does not offer complimentary scheduled maintenance with the purchase of an Explorer—a perk offered on competitors such as the GMC Acadia and the Toyota Highlander.

Get the Best Deal on a Ford Explorer

2017 Ford Explorer Platinum

Achieving platinum status.

Recent News

Introduced last year as part of a heavy refresh, the Ford Explorer’s top-of-the-line, $54,180 Platinum trim is a push-button gear selector and a few pieces of bodywork away from passing for a Lincoln. Although exterior differences between the Platinum and lesser Explorers are few—consisting of details such as an egg-crate grille, chrome mirror caps, and 15-spoke wheels—the flagship Explorer’s passenger compartment separates itself from the herd with high-brow fittings such as a 10-inch digital gauge cluster, quilted leather seats, a leather-wrapped dashboard, and real wood and aluminum accents on the dash, doors, and steering wheel.

Hustle Hard

A linebacker with the speed of a running back, the 4980-pound Platinum is both the heftiest and quickest Explorer to go through our testing regimen since the model adopted unibody construction for the current generation that debuted for 2011. Credit the Platinum’s twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V-6 EcoBoost engine that it shares with the more aggressively styled Explorer Sport. Packing 365 horsepower and 350 lb-ft of torque, the engine delivers smooth and linear muscle through a six-speed automatic transmission that includes a pair of steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters. All-wheel drive is standard. Unlike the Sport, which can be optioned with a set of 20-inch Continental summer tires for $995, the luxury-themed Platinum’s 20-inch wheels are wrapped in all-season Hankook tires.

In spite of a 41-pound weight disadvantage, though, our Platinum test car managed to better or equal the acceleration times we recorded in a 2016 Sport fitted with the summer rubber. The zero-to-60-mph run takes a brisk 5.8 seconds, the century mark is reached in 15.2 seconds, and the quarter-mile is crossed after 14.4 seconds at 98 mph, besting the Sport by 0.2 second, 0.6 second, and 0.2 second and 2 mph. The only acceleration test in which the Platinum wasn’t quicker was from 50 to 70 mph: both twin-turbo Explorers did it in 4.4 seconds. Similarly, the Platinum matched the Sport in clawing its way around our 300-foot skidpad at a respectable 0.83 g. The Sport’s summer tires proved advantageous only in our braking test—stopping this Platinum from 70 mph required 174 feet, 8 feet longer than the Sport on its stickier Continentals.

Cabin Fever

While the Platinum’s interior is filled with premium materials, build quality is less than stellar. Our test car’s door panels were misaligned with the dashboard, the leather of which showed signs of wear at the seams before the odometer reached 2500 miles. On the plus side, the addition of Sync 3 to 2017 Explorers is a boon to ergonomics. Menus within the central touchscreen are logically arranged, and touch inputs never needed a second or third tap of the screen to confirm a request. The Platinum also comes standard with features such as a dual-panel sunroof, adaptive cruise control, a blind-spot warning system, lane-keeping assist, a front-mounted camera, and an automatic parking system that can steer the Explorer into an open spot.

Despite providing more legroom in all three rows than the 2.9-inch-longer Dodge Durango, as well as an additional four cubic feet of cargo space behind its rearmost row, the Explorer’s interior can feel cramped. Exceptionally wide side sills make entering the cabin somewhat awkward. Once inside, the Explorer’s broad dashboard and a seating position that’s slightly offset toward the center make this mid-size crossover feel especially big and ungainly to navigate. Adding salt to the Explorer’s packaging wound is a front wheel well that invades the space for the driver’s left foot more than in most modern vehicles, rendering the small dead pedal all but useless to those with big feet or even average-size feet clad in boots. While our test car’s optional ($695) second-row bucket seats were comfortable, they lacked integrated armrests, resulting in arms hanging listlessly when the ($150) second-row center console was open and in use. Choosing the buckets also deletes one seating position, reducing our test car’s capacity from seven to six passengers. Meanwhile, the Explorer’s cushy, power-folding third-row seats offer a meager 40.7 inches of hiproom, 3.9 inches less than the Honda Pilot’s despite the vehicles’ virtually identical overall widths.

Everyman Brand

With a base price north of $50,000, the Explorer Platinum blurs the line between premium mid-size crossover SUVs and mainstream models. Compared with an Acura MDX or an Infiniti QX60 with equipment levels similar to that of our $55,025 Blue Jeans Metallic test car, the Platinum costs $2315 less than the MDX and $2870 less than the QX60. Both the Acura and the Infiniti provide somewhat more prestigious brand names; however, neither vehicle’s V-6 engine produces anywhere near the power of the Ford’s twin-turbocharged beast.

Those seeking power might also want to look at the Dodge Durango equipped with the 360-hp 5.7-liter V-8 engine. Even heavier than the Explorer Platinum (a 2016 Durango R/T registered 5369 pounds on our scales), the eight-cylinder Durango is objectively less capable than the Platinum, with lazier acceleration figures, a longer braking distance, and less lateral grip. Nevertheless, the eight-pot Dodge is more fun to pilot and is rated to tow up to 7400 pounds when properly equipped, 2400 more than the Explorer Platinum. The Dodge’s fuel-economy rating of 14 mpg city and 22 mpg highway falls behind the Platinum’s 16/22 rating; we averaged 17 mpg during our time with the Ford and recorded 20 mpg on our 200-mile, 75-mph highway-fuel-economy test. Based on that 20-mpg figure, the Explorer can travel roughly 370 miles on a tank, which is far less than many of its peers.

Regardless of which vehicles you most consider to be its competition, the 2017 Ford Explorer Platinum’s high-end materials, array of features, and strong engine allow it to stack up fairly well. Even so, consumers may be better off opting for the $7880 less expensive, but equally powerful, Explorer Sport. Based on our testing data, though, we can’t recommend the optional summer tires on that Explorer.